"Sonia?"
She gave a sheepish wave in response. "Hi, Bartleby. Um, long time, no see?"
The noble blinked and rubbed his eyes before pinching himself. "Okay, so I am awake," he muttered. Then he noticed the group behind her.
"Sonia, darling, why is there a miniature army in my house?"
"You said I could always come here if I was stuck outside after curfew and couldn't make it back in time."
Was that before or after you called off the engagement?
Not now, Sonic!
Bartleby covered his eyes with one hand in a way Shadow deemed a bit melodramatic. "Yes, if you were ever outside, not the entire Resistance! I can't get mixed up in your questionable hobbies anymore, Sonia. Do you have any idea how many times I was dragged to that horrid castle because of your antics? I have half a mind to call the authorities."
"Someone say toxic," Rouge hummed under her breath.
Sonic crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, allowing the scarce lighting of the servants' hall to cast flickering shadows over his fur. "You mean the mechanical brute squad leading innocents to the roboticizer whenever they sneeze too loud?"
The mink gasped before recovering himself almost in the same breath. "Sonic! You're alive." His muzzle twisted into a sneer. "Can't say I am not a little disappointed. But I suppose you are used to being a disappointment. I suspect now that you are back in town, trouble will be right behind you."
Sonic's smile was all teeth. "Glad to see the village hasn't lost its idiot yet. You're irreplaceable, Bartlebutt."
Tails twirled his namesakes nervously as he watched his older brother somehow pull off a smirk and a death-glare in one facial expression. He didn't know what to make of it. With Eggman, Sonic was cocky and fierce, and at the same time he was always finding fun in the fight. This was different. This guy got under Sonic's skin and pulled out a nasty, petty side of him that Tails didn't recognize.
But he also saw the way his older brother's arms tightened across his chest and the way his ears flicked back for only a moment. The fox kit frowned. He knew the effects of a bully when he saw it.
The azure prince blinked in surprise as Tails stood in front of him, hackles raised and fur puffed out in the same way Sonic would flare his quills.
"Sonic is a hero and my brother! And he's saved the world more times than anyone can count!"
The mink shifted his gaze from the blue blur down to the yellow kit, more notably his two tails. "Having children defend you now, Sonic? For a supposed prince, you make the most unnatural connections."
The snide comment passed over Tails without hitting its mark. Yeah, his tails were weird, but he was proud of them now. Instead, he held Bartleby's gaze without backing down, unaware of how his friends' hackles were rising behind him.
Amy's hand stretched out behind her, a flick of the wrist away from summoning her Piko Piko Hammer. Knuckles pounded one fist into the other. Gadget tucked himself into Shadow's side and kept one hand on Muttski's neck to keep the robo-dog close.
A firm grip on Tails's shoulder broke the staring contest. Baby blue eyes searched his brother's face, but Sonic's focus was on Bartleby alone.
Did Sonic's eyes always shine like that?
"Hey," he growled, pulling Bartleby's attention as he strode forward until he stood in front of the group. "Do we need to have a round two of what happened last time?"
YOU ARE READING
Running with the Rebels
Fanfiction(Sequel to Bound by Music) The royal children have finally been reunited and have joined the Resistance along with several of their close friends. Shadow, Sonic, Sonia, and Manic are determined to find their mother and defeat Eggman once and for all...
